“If Fela Kuti was a child of James Brown, fellow Nigerian William Onyeabor is something like the next-generation musical offspring of Parliament-Funkadelic.” — NPR

Waaaaay far away from being just another obscure artist stacked on the reissue pile, Nigerian mystery man William Onyeabor generated the kind of warm-yet-crisp, blissed-out Afrobeat fun with his extended keyboard jams that crate diggers only stumble upon once every several years. This is music that’s impossible not to feel as your ears take it in. Onyeabor’s story is compounded by both the lack of extant info and the dearth of rumors about him: did he actually study cinematography in Russia, invest in Swedish business, make his own Nigerian movies, or give it all away for Jesus? Tonight, David Byrne’s label Luaka Bop — the folks who did a mitzvah by bringing Onyeabor’s music to the 21st century world — presents: 1) Fantastic Man, the Onyeabor doc that takes us on a heady trip through the myths, legends and semi-truths of this shadowy figure; 2) Konkombe, the 1979 Nigerian film showcasing the Afrobeat, highlife and traditional music of the region; and 3) a SUPER-RARE live Q&A appearance by the Lijadu Sisters, contemporaries of Onyeabor who are performing at the Greek on May 8th! Q&A moderated by Jeremy Sole (KCRW.)